Rangers have already signed a bigger talent than Curtis

It’s fair to say that Glasgow Rangers have not borne the fruits of the academy set-up for an extended period now, so often looking elsewhere to strengthen their ranks, rather than promoting from within.

Not since Nathan Patterson – swiftly sold on for £11.5m – has a youngster truly enjoyed any sort of extended impact at first-team level, albeit with even the right-back’s stay proving relatively brief.

Again in 2025/26, there has been no significant breakthrough from the youth ranks, with the latest teen sensation at Ibrox having come in the form of on-loan Tottenham Hotspur man, Mikey Moore.

Hopefully, that dynamic will be altered next season under Danny Rohl’s watch, with hopes high for the likes of Findlay Curtis, following the 19-year-old’s surprise Scotland call-up.

Why Findlay Curtis has been called up by Scotland

It was Curtis rather than Moore who looked like the Gers’ brightest spark in the early weeks and months of the season, with the Scottish teenager scoring three times across all fronts, leaving club legend Ally McCoist to suggest that there “wasn’t much between” the young pair.

Despite those impressive cameos, the arrival of Rohl saw Curtis’ involvement reduced heading into January, with the Glasgow side ultimately allowing the versatile winger to join Kilmarnock on loan until the end of the campaign.

That switch – which has seen the youngster record one assist in six outings – has already paid off as far as he is concerned, with Curtis having been a shock inclusion in Steve Clarke’s recent squad announcement.

With options on the flanks limited for Scotland, amid Ben Gannon-Doak’s only recent return from injury, Clarke is keen to have a closer look at the Killie loanee later this month for the friendlies against Japan and the Ivory Coast.

Speaking about Curtis’ inclusion in a group that also includes the Rangers pair of Liam Kelly and John Souttar, the Scotland boss suggested that the teenager could offer something “similar” to Gannon-Doak from the flanks:

A positive first impression, and potential inclusion at this summer’s World Cup, can only be a good thing for both Curtis and his parent club, with there perhaps signs that the academy set-up could prove far more fruitful moving forward.

Rangers may have already signed a bigger talent than Curtis

With it still yet to be seen if the aforementioned Moore will be staying put at Ibrox next season, the Gers could already have an in-house replacement in the form of another arrival from the Premier League.

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Indeed, like Moore, teenage winger Zebedee Lawson was snapped up from England’s top tier last summer, with the then-16-year-old arriving from Brighton and Hove Albion amid the pursuit of first-team football.

That deal was viewed as a “major coup” at the time, as per transfer insider Pete O’Rourke, with it is easy to see why considering Lawson’s progress since then, having made his first-team debut against Annan Athletic back in January.

Rohl – who also spoke of his desire to unleash 16-year-old, Kyle Glasgow, for that Scottish Cup tie – is evidently keen to promote the club’s most exciting academy assets, with there perhaps some surprise that he somewhat overlooked Curtis back in the autumn.

In any case, at just 17, it could be Lawson who represents the bigger talent, mirroring Moore as being a dynamic, exciting import from south of the border, terrorising defenders with his ability to drive at opponents and cut in from the flanks.

The left-footer, who typically operates off the right wing, notably netted a first-half hat-trick in a 9-0 thrashing of Darvel in the Scottish Youth Cup back in October, already looking like a class above at that age group.

At a time when Premiership clubs so often have to contend with losing their best and brightest to English clubs, it is significant that Rangers were able to tempt Lawson into moving in the opposite direction, with the teen winger evidently hopeful of forcing his way into the first-team picture on a more permanent basis.

Of course, patience is required with such a young talent – with the likes of Zak Lovelace unable to live up to the hype at Ibrox previously – although there is certainly reason to be getting excited about Lawson.

With Rohl’s current pool of wingers not currently cutting it, and with the German having snubbed the aforementioned Curtis somewhat earlier in the campaign, the future could instead belong to the likes of Lawson and Glasgow on the flanks.

Indeed, if Moore is to enjoy just a solitary campaign at Ibrox, someone needs to step up to replace him…

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